


Mine No Longer

by RealaCarsona



Category: L.A. By Night (Web Series)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-11
Updated: 2020-03-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23100613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RealaCarsona/pseuds/RealaCarsona
Summary: Eva has been gone for two months, and not a single word has been heard from her.Which is why it's so surprising to see her in the crowd at the Maharani, and with a guest, no less.
Relationships: Eva/Jasper (L.A. By Night), Eva/Katya
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1

Two months it had been, two long months since the night of Baron Griffith’s party.

For most of the LA Kindred, the time had passed unremarkably, the uneasy truce settling further until the cross sect alliance’s and even friendships were practically commonplace.

But for the Valley Coterie the time had passed under an atmosphere of fear for what was happening within the Tower.

After Eva’s disappearance, the Tremere had all but withdrawn from the city, maintaining their presence in the Magic Castle but otherwise staying out of the politics between the two factions.

Jasper’s resolve to trust her had lasted impressively, but there had been nights where they worried that he may go storming over to the Magic Castle to demand answers from Strauss himself as to the location of the wayward Blood Witch.

But he hadn’t and in their downtime, Victor had found the opportunity to work further towards his mortal business practices.

It was practically mundane at this point, another one of Victor’s album releases, each of the Coterie going through the motions for the sake of the mortals partying at the Maharani.

Annabelle working the crowd as Baby B, Victor holding court in the VIP section, Nelli off corrupting hapless mortals somewhere.

Jasper watching from his customary spot within the hidden passageways, when he spotted a flash of crimson in the crowd.

Eyes wide, he leapt to a point further down the corridor, pressing his hand to the mirrored glass to try and see the individual’s face.

Cascading locks of red hair flared outwards as the dancing woman span, coming to rest with her hands on the shoulders of a darker haired woman.

Even from here, he recognized the sparkling blue eyes and the glint of pearly white fangs as Eva laughed, leaning her head into Katya’s shoulder.

Spotting a familiar, fast moving Brujah in the crowd, Jasper snarled but forced himself to stay put, waiting to see how, whatever this was. would play out.

Forcing himself to remain calm, despite whatever else may have happened, Eva would never harm Annabelle. She cared about the young woman as much as the rest of them did, had even given her one of Eva’s healing potions.

He wasn’t even sure what he’d say if he went out there. Didn’t understand why she would be here with Katya. Didn’t understand why Strauss would ever have undone what he did.

The face was the same, but this didn’t seem like the Eva he knew, he worried that this was maybe not the Eva he loved.

Her skin was flush with colour, if he didn’t know better, he would guess she had become mortal again.

And her hair, once snow white, finally gave confirmation to why she had been Katya’s crimson petal, or rather was, he frowned.

It was hard to remain positive, as the now vibrant love of his life pressed her lips to another, smiling against the older Tremere.

As Annabelle caught up to the two women, Jasper watched as she grabbed Eva’s shoulder, spinning her round to face Annabelle.

Eyes widening, he watched in horror as Annabelle bit back a scream, snatching away her hand which was charred and blackened.

In a remarkable display of self-control, she managed to hold back the sound, jamming her hand into her pocket to hide it from curious eyes.

From his vantage point, he watched as Eva smiled and shook her head, seeming to be saying something teasingly to Annabelle.

Katya’s arm snaked around Eva’s waist as Eva leaned in, whispering something in Annabelle’s ear.

And then the two Tremere turned, slipping out of the club quietly, as though they had never been there at all.

Scrambling to follow, Jasper raced for the door, slipping into invisibility as he stepped onto the street.

Eyes scanning the road, he growled in frustration before his gaze fell downwards.

Onto the small glass bottle on the end of a chain.


	2. Chapter 2

The club was cleared by the time Jasper walked back inside, knuckled scraped and torn, not to mention the partially demolished wall down the street.

Nelli and Victor were standing at Annabelle’s side, the Toreador examining her hand critically.

As he watched, the wound began to slowly heal, but it was slow going and it didn’t look like she’d be able to finish mending the damage that night.

He almost slipped back into Unseen Passage, tried to avoid them, but he forced himself to head straight over coming to a stop just behind Victor.

As Annabelle looked up, registering his presence, she smiled at him through gritted teeth.

“I’m sorry.” Jasper whispered helplessly, feeling the cold glass of the pendant clutched tight in his fingers.

Annabelle shook her head defiantly, “Me getting hurt is nothing to do with you, this time at least. I don’t know what the hell that was, but apparently we’ve all been invited to a party.”

“We’ve what?” Nelli frowned, exchanging a look with Victor. “Eva showed up here tonight, injured Annabelle and then invited us to a party? Seriously?”

Nodding, Annabelle flexed her fingers, relieved when all the joints seemed to function correctly. “If it helps at all, she did apologize for me getting hurt, although I’ve never set her wards off before.”

“A lot seems to have changed.” Victor sighed, before turning to Jasper, “Look man, I hate to say it, but doesn’t this all seem a little odd to you. I asked you to tell me when she became a problem.”

“I know.” Jasper growled, “I don’t know what that was Victor, none of this makes sense.”

“Well then, perhaps we should go to this party.” Nelli stepped in, the voice of reason, “There is still an active truce after all. Where did she tell you it was Annabelle?”

“Elysium, tomorrow night.” Annabelle told them quietly, “You guys, do we think we may have lost Eva?”

Rubbing his hands together, Victor shrugged, “I think there’s only one way to find out.”

They didn’t stay together long after that, the night had drawn to a close and they all headed back to their respective havens to sleep through the day.

The next evening was a whirlwind of activity and anxiety, Nelli called them all together, leading the charge on ensuring each of them was at their most presentable. Jasper was kept a close eye on, for fear he may pull another move to antagonize Strauss should they cross paths.

As much as he felt the dread of discovering what had happened, gnawing at his stomach. Jasper couldn’t help but feel a little excited at the prospect of finally coming face to face with Eva again.

Bundled into a car on their way to the party, they were all silent, the only sounds coming from the fussing hands of Nelli as she adjusted Annabelle’s jacket for the hundredth time.

Before they walked into the grand lobby of the current Elysium, Victor pulled them all back, “Remember, until we know otherwise, no one touch her, alright?”

Sobered, they headed inside, cautiously making their way into the Camarilla event that was in full swing.

The dance floor was teaming with younger Kindred, which made it easy to spot the Elders, stood awkwardly around the side lines.

Glancing around they picked out many familiar Camarilla faces, but quickly concluded that they were the only Anarch representatives present.

Slipping on her best Toreador smile, Nelli hooked her arm through Annabelle’s and began the steady dance that was the Clan of the Rose’s trademark, holding the young Brujah tight against her in case of trouble.

Victor made a point of doing similar, greeting each of his own Clan warmly and inquiring as to their health and the success of their business ventures.

Jasper couldn’t see any of the Nosferatu, not that he would have bothered to do the same as his Coterie mates if he had. Instead he took up a sullen position next to one of the windows, carefully monitoring the positions of his Coterie.

They had been there almost an hour when there was a stir through the crowd, as from a large set of a double doors, out stepped two women.

The Tremere Primogen, with the Red Witch on her arm.

The two of them glided into the room, greeting several individuals as they made their way through.

Nelli took the opportunity to lean into Edison’s ear.

“What do you know about the woman in the red dress, our side lost track of her a while ago, it’s interesting to see her here?”

Edison looked over both hers and Annabelle’s faces carefully for a moment before letting out a surprised laugh, “You really didn’t know she was here? She’s been the Keeper of Elysium for a month.”

“She’s been the what?!” Annabelle hissed, before Nelli dug her fingernails in sharply.

Nodding, Edison smiled, “Yes, apparently, and you didn’t hear this from me Nelli…”

“Of course not Edison, our little gossip sessions matter far too much to me to betray your confidence.” She smiled disarmingly, running her fingers over his hand.

“Well, if the rumours are true, she appeared at the Magic Castle one night out of the blue and begged an audience with Strauss. No one knows what they talked about, but when she came out, she looked like that and was granted full rights within the Camarilla.” Edison whispered under his breath, as Katya and Eva moved closer to the centre of the dance floor.

A slight frown on her face, Nelli glanced over at Eva, who seemed to be fascinated by something out of a window, “But how did she end up as Keeper of Elysium, a renegade returning to the Cam being raised to a position of responsibility that quickly? It’s unheard of.”

“I know.” Edison smirked, “And let me tell you, there are plenty who are not at all happy about it. But the Prince and Strauss seem to have a plan for her, and no one’s willing to stick their neck out to argue it.”

Thanking him, Nelli pulled Annabelle towards Jasper, retrieving Victor along the way before sharing what they’d learned with the boys.

“I thought Strauss was the Keeper, he just gave that to her?” Victor frowned, keeping his voice low as his eyes scanned the room.

“I don’t think he just did anything,” Nelli shook her head, “Whatever deal she made with him, she seems to have gotten a lot from it. I dread to think what she would have been asked to give up in the process.” 

They were so preoccupied by their discussion that they almost missed the appearance of Eva herself, as the Tremere appeared seemingly from nowhere behind Victor.

“I’m so glad you could all make it. You look well Annabelle, I apologize again for last night.” She smiled at them, slender fangs on full display.

Annabelle forced herself to grin easily, “It’s all good Eva, should have known better than to grab you without asking right?”

Eva laughed lightly, stepping closer to Annabelle and reaching for her shoulder, “It’s good to see you again, Victor, Nelli.” She paused for a moment, not looking at the fourth member of the Coterie. “Jasper.”

The Nosferatu remained silent; eyes fixed on an ever so slightly crooked floor tile.

“I hear you’re the Keeper of Elysium now?” Nelli smiled, waving her hand at the assembled Kindred, “How have you been finding that?”

Eva shook her head for a moment as though confused, and they began to notice the ever so slightly glazed look in her eyes, “It’s a responsibility that I am proud to hold for the Tremere. And I am no Toreador, but I think my party’s hold their own.”

“They do.” Nelli frowned, “But I’m just curious how you ended up here?”

“Darling Evangeline.” Katya was at Eva’s elbow before they could react, looping her arm through hers, “You left me trapped in a conversation with a Ventrue Neonate, do you have any idea how much patience it takes to listen to their juvenile ramblings?”

“I’m hurt Katya, and here I was thinking we were friends?” Victor laughed, holding a hand to his chest in mock outrage.

“Mr Temple.” Katya smiled in greeting, “You are one of the rare few I find to have any actual business savvy these nights. We’re just not Embracing the way we should anymore, the Gehenna prophecies having everyone running scared and all.”

“Well you at least can be proud of your own Childe,” Victor pointed at Eva, “Keeper of Elysium we hear?”

Katya smiled tightly, fingers pressing tight against Eva’s forearm, “I am very proud of her.”

Humming under her breath, Eva seemed to have stopped paying attention to the conversation, staring intently at a young man on the dancefloor, who was deep in conversation with a young woman.

Without warning, she broke off from their conversation, pulling free from Katya’s arm who turned to watch her curiously as she stalked across the dance floor.

Annabelle made to follow out of pure instinct but Nelli’s firm hand came down on her shoulder, keeping her in place.

Putting herself between the two individuals, Eva snarled, the animalistic display stunning everyone into a shocked, curious silence.

Backing away, all present cleared a space on the floor surrounding the three Kindred.

The man Eva had bared her teeth at puffed out his chest cockily, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Keeper, is something the matter?” He asked, a self-assured smirk on his lips as he gestured to the woman stood behind her, “I can assure you; we were just having a conversation.”

With a growl rumbling in her chest, Eva turned and slowly looked over the woman, before turning back on the man.

“She was scared, and then she wasn’t, the opposite in fact.” Eva spat out, “Care to explain?”

“What can I say, my natural charm is very alluring.” He grinned.

Over to the side, Victor leaned down to Nelli’s ear, “Do you know who that is?”

It was Katya who answered, the irritation clear in her voice, “A Toreador Neonate, can’t be more than six months old. He’s been pushing his luck with some of the Elders, asking for favours he hasn’t earned.”

Eva didn’t seem in any way affected by his self-proclaimed, natural charm.

“Leave now, you are no longer permitted to attend Elysium for the rest of the month.” The Blood Witch told him firmly, jarring in comparison to the softly spoken Eva the Coterie had been accustomed to.

“Hey, you can’t do that! I didn’t do anything!” In his haste to argue, he made the mistake of grabbing for her arm, a left over human gesture and one he immediately regretted.

They all smelt the burning of charred Kindred flesh, watched as the young Toreador screamed in pain before his face twisted into an ugly frown, pointing at Eva accusingly.

“She just used her magic on me, you all saw it! She broke the rules, not me!”

There was a moment of silence, and then…laughter. Eva’s laughter, light and carefree as it rang through the room.

“It’s my verdict what breaks Elysium. And you set off a Ward, do you know anything about Wards?” She asked him, almost kindly.

Nervously realising the utter lack of support he had, if anything the people watching seemed to be enjoying his distress, the man just shook his head.

“Wards are purely defensive, had you not attempted to lay hands on me? You would be just fine. You however, actively used a Discipline to influence the mind of another. So, get out.” Eva told him again, stepping forward sharply into his personal space, the fury of her Beast on full display.

The Toreador looked around one more time, as though imploring anyone to speak up on his behalf.

When no one did, he glanced back at Eva, but any chance that he may have continued to argue disappeared when he saw the blue sparks beginning to flicker and dance over her skin.

Turning on his heel, he fled the party, the music already having restarted before the door swung shut behind him.

The Coterie watched from the sideline as Eva gently checked over the woman she had interceded for, before the Tremere drifted away again, running her fingers lightly over the leaves of a potted plant beside a window.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Katya nodded to them all, before hurrying off to join her, although Eva seemed a mile away and didn’t seem to notice her presence.

The Anarchs just watched helplessly, unsure what it was they were even watching.

“What the hell is going on?” Victor shook his head disbelievingly.

Jasper’s heavy sigh, painfilled and broken, as he finally opened his fingers to show them the glass bottle pendant he had not let go of since he found it, “I think we may have lost her.”


	3. Chapter 3

_If I still matter to you at all, then please meet me, you know where. – J_

He didn’t know what he was expecting when he sent the text, still didn’t know as he made his way through the park to the Observatory. Maybe he’d sit there all night, scrambling home just in time for sunrise, with her nowhere to be found.

Or worse, maybe he’d find a Camarilla army waiting for him.

The one thing he really wanted, was the last he actually thought would be waiting.

And yet, there she was, overlooking the park and the distant lights of Hollywood, a million miles away as he walked over to her.

At the party, he hadn’t dared look, hadn’t wanted to see the rejection in her eyes. Or, the disgust and revulsion he got from everyone else, he hadn’t been able to bear the idea of receiving that from her.

That she had met him at all was just enough to grant him the bravery to look at her face, ignoring the flush of colour in her skin, and the bright red of her hair, layering over the memories of _his_ Eva.

She didn’t acknowledge his presence for a long time, before finally she sighed, and turned to face him.

“Hello Jasper.” Eva’s voice was soft and kind, and his knees almost buckled in response as he reached for her.

Just in time he pulled back, wary of her clothing.

Smiling, she stepped into his arms, wrapping her own around his waist. “I would never hurt you Jasper, you do that quite well on your own.”

He knew her enough to recognize the signs of a drug free night, the strength and focus in her eyes more than enough to tip him off.

“Never? What was the other night then?” Jasper rasped out, unable to contain the bitterness and anger he was feeling.

“Necessary.” She whispered, head pressed tight against her shoulder, “I’m so sorry Jasper, I don’t know what’s happening anymore.”

Holding her tighter against him, he rested his chin on the top of her head, “Camarilla, Keeper of Elysium? What happened when you left?”

For a long moment there was no response, and then he felt her shoulders shaking under his grip, “I don’t know,” Eva sobbed, “I was going to kill him, he was right in front of me, and then I was agreeing to all the things he said. He got in my head Jasper, I was so sure I could keep him out, but I was wrong. Jasper I made things worse again and I don’t know what to do.”

“Katya knows, doesn’t she?” He muttered.

Eva nodded against his chest, “She’s protecting me Jasper, I know what you think of her, but she’s doing her best. She loves me.”

Snarling, he forced his tense arms to relax, just holding her close, “I know, I do, I just wish she didn’t have to.”

They stood there for a long time, faces buried in each other’s clothing, neither of them making a move to break the desperate silence.

Eventually, almost thirty minutes later, Jasper muttered into her shoulder, unable to look at her, “You could just leave, come back with me. Or we could run, far away, and leave them to their fighting. Wherever you want to go, I promise, I’m right there.”

“Jasper…” Her voice broke on the words, “I can’t, Strauss will never let me run again.”

“We’ll go now, before he can stop us, Eva I promise I can keep you safe.”

Stepping back, Eva pulled herself free of his grip, shaking her head, “No, you can’t.”

There was something about the way the words fell from her lips that froze him in place, suddenly aware of the anxious way she kept twisting her hands.

“Eva?” Jasper asked hesitantly, “What exactly was the deal you agreed to?”

“Clan first.” She whispered mournfully, “Tremere are always Clan first.”

“Eva?”

“You need to go, Jasper.” She breathed, moving a little farther from him. “Go now.”

He crossed the distance to her, a hand going to her shoulder. “I’m not leaving you.”

“Jasper-”

“I’m _not_ leaving you.” Jasper told her again, fingers locked tight around her arm.

Closing her eyes, Eva shuddered slightly, before leaning her head against his chest again. “I can’t leave, and if you don’t go now…please Jasper.”

Smirking, Jasper ducked his head to catch her eye reassuringly, “They wanted me before, even asked me to be Sheriff. The politics don’t matter to me, all that matters is you.”

A heavy hand came down on his shoulder, as darkness swirled around them.

Three Kindred stepping out from the shadows.

From behind Jasper, Strauss smiled at Eva with a twisted air of pride, “I’m so glad to hear that Mr Heartwood. Very well done Evangeline.”


End file.
